A 220 home development in Whittlesey is set to get the go-ahead.

Showfields Ltd’s revised proposal, for land east of East Delph, has been recommended for approval by officers. It will be debated by Fenland District Council’s planning committee next Wednesday.

The plans include a new link road, an equipped play area, a football pitch, allotments and a nature park.

A previous application, for 249 homes, was rejected on “flooding” grounds. However, the Environmental Agency and North Level Internal Drainage Board have now given the plans the green light.

The application is opposed by residents, who have formed the Showfield Action Group. However, they have now accepted “flooding is no longer a major concern”, although they maintain there are “many other issues”, including increased congestion and that schools will not be able to cope with the additional pressure.

Officers said: “This current outline planning application seeks a smaller amount of development and in doing so the scheme no longer proposes the development of homes within Flood Zone 3b (indeed all of the housing is within the lowest area of flooding: Flood Zone 1).

“The advice from the council’s specialist consultant is that there are no technical or policy reasons to object to the proposals on flood risk grounds.

“Therefore, the proposed development has addressed the single reason for refusal put forward in relation to the previous application.”

Showfields Ltd director Philip Rose says the development represents “an exciting opportunity” for the town.

He said: “The directors of Showfields Ltd are pleased that it would now appear that the Showfield Action Group have finally recognised that the flood risk to the development site has been seriously overplayed.

“Both the directors were born and raised in the town and would not want to be associated with any development that did not carry the potential of materially improving the standard of accommodation and the quality of life of the people affected by it.

“The application currently before the planning committee achieves both these key objectives.

“Furthermore, the directors firmly believe that the proposed development represents an exciting opportunity to develop what will become acknowledged as the most desirable area of the town in which to make a home and raise a family.”